What do I see in Milkmaids?
I see thousands of little white flowers covering my hill. It is February in Northern California and unlike the far more showy flowers to come, the Milkmaids (Dentaria californica) say spring is here. And for me, finally emerging from winter’s long nights in philosophical mood, I see far more than little unprepossessing dots of white. I see you and me, bloggers and gardeners, doing what we can to brighten the day.
This is yet another way the camera lies. In the grips of a caption a photo often says something very different than either the photographer or the scene intended. This is not the day to rant about a lush Seattle lawn photo ending up in a book sold to Arizona gardeners or a zone 11 succulent tempting a New England rock gardener. This is waxing philosophical about the power of a simple photo to provoke a thought.
I am impressed by all the blogging going on in the gardening world. Probably in every little world, from politics to facebooks, cooks to churches, blogging is everywhere. Like milkmaids on my hill. But garden blogs, like many a personal garden, exist just to please ourselves and our friends. No big expectations – like milkmaids on my hill
Individually, each flower is insignificant. And aren’t blogs and gardens too? Yet each flower goes on regardless if anyone notices, and collectively it’s wonderful. For those who notice, the day is brightened for a moment. Then we move on.
Now consider the manzanita flower, another February bloomer:
What do we see here ? Well, it has been said it takes a village . . .
Is the camera lying – or provoking a thought ?
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